OAKLAND — The death penalty is off the table in the case of John Lee Cowell, accused of stabbing Nia Wilson to death on a BART station platform a year ago.

Alameda County District Attorney Deputy District Attorney Butch Ford announced at a court hearing Monday that the DA’s office would not seek the death penalty for Cowell.

The Monday hearing at the Rene C. Davidson courthouse was for Cowell to possibly enter a plea to the charges of murder and attempted murder. No plea was made.

Cowell, 28, is accused of killing 18-year-old Wilson on July 22, 2018, at the MacArthur BART station, and the attempted murder of her sister, Letifah Wilson, who has since recovered. Nia Wilson was slashed in the throat, and her sister was stabbed.

District Attorney Nancy O’Malley added the “lying in wait” special circumstances to his charges last year, which could have made Cowell eligible for the death penalty. Now, he faces a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted.

Cowell was found competent to stand trial just last month, after his attorney questioned his mental competency in December. Court-appointed doctors mentally evaluated him, and one expert found him incompetent to stand trial but another could not reach a conclusion. A third doctor from UC Davis Health found him competent last month.

Wilson’s father, Ansar El Muhammad, spoke to media in the courthouse on Monday morning. He said the family would accept Cowell being sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“If we have to go with life without parole, we’d be satisfied with that,” he said.

“I would like to see this trial move forward so we can have some closure with this case for my family,” Muhammad said. “We just want closure.”

Nia Wilson’s mother, Alicia Grayson, told reporters in November 2018 after one hearing, that she “most definitely” wanted the death penalty for Cowell.

“100 percent … 1,000 percent,” she said. Grayson did not appear to be present at Monday’s court hearing.

Tomisha Wilson, sister to Nia Wilson, said she thinks about her sister every day.

“I think about my sister not being here at all. It’s unbelievable that we’re really here,” she said.

A trial date was set for Jan. 6, 2020, although dates could be postponed. An earlier date was also set for Oct. 11 for Cowell to enter a plea to the charges.

Cowell could plead not guilty by reason of insanity, which means if he is convicted, he could face time in a state mental hospital instead of prison.

Nita Wilson’s death sparked nationwide reaction. A young African-American woman allegedly attacked by a white man brought on discussions of it being a racist-fueled hate crime attack. Cowell has not been charged with a hate crime.

Cowell has a long criminal history that dates back to when he was a teenager. Court records and interviews paint Cowell as a drug-using, quick-tempered man with a trail of restraining orders and criminal charges. Most of his crimes occurred in 2016 but date back to 2009, the year of his 18th birthday. Past allegations include shooting into a dwelling and felony assaults using weapons, including knives.

Christina Moore, Cowell’s attorney, said in the past that Cowell had been placed on involuntary psychiatric holds 22 times from 2012 to his arrest in July 2018. One time in the hospital, he was so delusional that he talked to the hospital staff about removing his breast implants, Moore had said earlier.

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